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A river winding through a forested canyon in the Auburn State Recreation Area, with a dirt road along the water
Simon Hurry / Unsplash

Canyons Endurance Runs course maps and aid stations

Four races on the Western States Trail and the canyons of the American River, all finishing on High Street in downtown Auburn.

April 22 to 25, 2027 Auburn, California

Canyons is a UTMB World Series race in Auburn, in the Sierra Nevada foothills northeast of Sacramento. The 2027 edition runs April 22 to 25. The 100 mile and 100K start at the China Wall trailhead near Foresthill, drop into the canyons on the Western States Trail and run back to Auburn. The 50K and 25K start and finish in town.

The 2027 courses aren't out yet, so the map shows 2026's as the organizer planned them. Bad weather in race week forced a late reroute of the 100 mile and 100K, and the 2026 runners took a different line between China Wall and Michigan Bluff.

The runner guide warns that limited cell and satellite coverage can hold up runner tracking by as much as two hours. Download the course map before you go, as a runner or as crew. GPS shows where you are without a signal.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Canyons Endurance Runs by UTMB. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Canyons course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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Save it in Goat Maps for a recce or race day. GPS shows where you are even without a signal.

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Canyons courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
100 Mile101.8 mi (164 km)18,204 ft (5,549 m)Fri, Apr 23, 12:00 PM35 h
100K63.1 mi (102 km)12,295 ft (3,748 m)Sat, Apr 24, 5:00 AM20 h
50K31.2 mi (50 km)5,094 ft (1,553 m)Sat, Apr 24, 7:00 AM10 h
25K15.5 mi (25 km)2,500 ft (762 m)Fri, Apr 23, 4:00 PM5 h

Canyons 100 Mile

China Wall to Auburn on the Western States Trail, with a long detour through Cool and ALT before the finish.

Distance
101.8 mi (164 km)
Climbing
18,204 ft (5,549 m)
Start
Fri, Apr 23, 12:00 PM
Time limit
35 h

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You start at China Wall at noon on Friday and go 10.1 miles to the first aid station at Deadwood. From there you pass the Devil's Thumb hydration station and drop to Swinging Bridge, where you have to check in and get a marking. You climb back out to Devil's Thumb and take Loop 6 round to Deadwood. Without the marking you're out at Deadwood 2. Then the course follows the Western States Trail through Michigan Bluff, Foresthill and Cal Street, past the Rucky Chucky river crossing to Drivers Flat, and on to Mammoth Bar and the Confluence Trail.

At No Hands Bridge the 100 mile splits off up the K2 climb to Cool, loops down to the river past Coffer Dam, and comes back to Cool. From Cool it goes out to ALT by way of Browns Bar, returns across No Hands Bridge and climbs to Robie Point and over Ann Trason's White Bridge to the finish. The 2026 chart gives 18,204 feet of climbing over 101.8 miles, and 9.3 miles between the Cal 2 and Drivers Flat aid stations. The cutoffs are 2026's.

aid stations

miWhereCutoff
0China Wall (100M and 100K start)
10.1Deadwood
12Devil's Thumb (hydration)
13.5Swinging Bridge (turnaround, no aid)
15.1Devil's Thumb (hydration)
18.3Deadwood Fri 6:30 PM
24Michigan Bluff CrewFri 7:45 PM
30Foresthill Crew, Drop bagFri 9:30 PM
38.2Cal 2
47.5Drivers Flat CrewSat 3:00 AM
55.5Mammoth Bar Sat 5:30 AM
59.1Confluence
59.9No Hands (hydration)
62.9Cool Crew, Drop bag, PacersSat 8:00 AM
64.6Coffer Dam (water only)
69.1Coffer Dam (water only)
75.1Cool Crew, Drop bag, PacersSat 12:00 PM
79.2Browns Bar
84.7ALT Sat 3:30 PM
92.3Browns Bar
98.3No Hands (hydration)
101.8Downtown Auburn (finish) Sat 11:00 PM
The Foresthill Bridge seen through trees across a forested canyon near Auburn
Joel Durkee / Unsplash

Canyons 100K

The canyons from China Wall to Auburn, with the turnaround at Swinging Bridge and three crew stops.

Distance
63.1 mi (102 km)
Climbing
12,295 ft (3,748 m)
Start
Sat, Apr 24, 5:00 AM
Time limit
20 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

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The 100K starts at China Wall at 5 AM on Saturday and runs the same course as the 100 mile as far as the Confluence: Deadwood, the Swinging Bridge check-in, Michigan Bluff, Foresthill, Cal Street and Drivers Flat. After the Confluence you pass under No Hands Bridge and climb to Robie Point for the finish.

The 2026 chart gives 12,295 feet of climbing over 63.1 miles, with a finish cutoff of 1 AM Sunday. Finish in under 20 hours for a Western States qualifier. The top three women and men are offered Golden Tickets to the 2027 Western States.

aid stations

miWhereCutoff
0China Wall (100M and 100K start)
10.1Deadwood
12Devil's Thumb (hydration)
13.5Swinging Bridge (turnaround, no aid)
15.1Devil's Thumb (hydration)
18.3Deadwood Sat 11:30 AM
24Michigan Bluff CrewSat 12:45 PM
30Foresthill Crew, Drop bagSat 2:30 PM
38.2Cal 2
47.5Drivers Flat CrewSat 7:45 PM
55.5Mammoth Bar Sat 10:15 PM
59.1Confluence
63.1Downtown Auburn (finish) Sun 1:00 AM
A tall steel bridge high above a river and a low road bridge in the Auburn State Recreation Area
Simon Hurry / Unsplash

Canyons 50K

Out of Auburn over No Hands Bridge to Drivers Flat and back by the American River.

Distance
31.2 mi (50 km)
Climbing
5,094 ft (1,553 m)
Start
Sat, Apr 24, 7:00 AM
Time limit
10 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

The 50K leaves downtown Auburn at 7 AM on Saturday, joins the Western States Trail at Robie Point and crosses No Hands Bridge. It climbs the Clementine trail to the Foresthill Divide Loop and follows it up to Drivers Flat, the longest stretch between aid stations at 8.4 miles. From there you descend to Mammoth Bar and come back on the Confluence Trail before the climb to town.

The 2026 chart gives 5,094 feet of climbing over 31.2 miles, with a 10 hour limit. Expect steep climbs and fast descents, the organizer says, with wildflowers along the way.

No Hands Bridge, a concrete arch bridge over a river near Auburn, in autumn
Curtis Hystad / Unsplash

Canyons 25K

A Friday evening run from downtown Auburn over No Hands Bridge to Cool and back.

Distance
15.5 mi (25 km)
Climbing
2,500 ft (762 m)
Start
Fri, Apr 23, 4:00 PM
Time limit
5 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

The 25K moved to Friday evening in 2026, and in 2027 it starts at 4 PM on Friday the 23rd. You drop from Robie Point to No Hands Bridge, climb Training Hill to Cool, run a short loop back to Cool and return the way you came.

The 2026 chart gives 2,500 feet of climbing over 15.5 miles. You have to leave Cool by 6:45 PM, and the finish closes at 9 PM.

aid stations

miWhereCutoff
0Downtown Auburn (finish)
3.5No Hands (hydration)
6.5Cool
8.6Cool Fri 6:45 PM
12No Hands (hydration)
15.5Downtown Auburn (finish) Fri 9:00 PM

Registration and qualifiers

Entry is online through UTMB, and all four distances were open when this page was checked. The organizer says prices can go up at any time. Online registration closes April 18, 2027 or when a race sells out, and there's no waitlist. Open distances can be entered at the expo, but not on race day.

Entries can't be refunded or transferred, but you can defer once to the next year if you ask by March 24, 2027. You must be 18 for the 100M, 100K and 50K, and 16 for the 25K.

Finishing the 100M in under 35 hours or the 100K in under 20 hours qualifies you for the 2028 Western States lottery. In 2026 the top three women and men in the 100M, 100K and 50K also won a slot at the UTMB World Series Finals, though they still paid for the bib.

Getting to Auburn

A river winding through a forested canyon in the Auburn State Recreation Area, with a dirt road along the water
Simon Hurry / Unsplash

Sacramento International (SMF) is the closest airport, about 40 minutes' drive from Auburn, which sits on I-80 northeast of Sacramento. The race doesn't run transport from Sacramento, so rent a car or take a rideshare.

In 2026 the main parking was at the Gold Country Fairgrounds, and the 100M and 100K took runner-only shuttles from there to China Wall. You can't park or be dropped off at China Wall, and crews aren't allowed there. Every distance finishes on High Street in downtown Auburn.

Crewing and pacing

In 2026 crews could meet 100M runners at Michigan Bluff, Foresthill, Drivers Flat and both visits to Cool. The 100K had the first three of those. Deadwood, Devil's Thumb, Cal 2, Mammoth Bar, the Confluence, Browns Bar, ALT and Clementine are closed to crews, and the guide warns that trying to reach Cal 2 means disqualification and a possible ban from future races.

Only the 100M allows pacers. You can have two, one at a time, and they join at Cool 1 or Cool 2. Pacers sign their own waiver and pick up a bib at the expo or at the Cool aid station.

Weather and what to carry

No Hands Bridge, a concrete arch bridge over a river near Auburn, in autumn
Curtis Hystad / Unsplash

April in Auburn averages a high of 68°F and a low of 45°F, by NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals. The runner guide warns that this time of year you can get anything from heat to snow on the high ground, and the race can make a hot or cold weather kit mandatory.

For the 100M the mandatory kit includes two headlamps with spare batteries, a liter of water capacity, a hooded jacket, a survival blanket, 800 calories of food and a phone that works in the US. The race is cupless, so carry your own. Poison oak grows along the trails. If you step off the trail and touch it, wash with dish soap or a cleanser like IvyX and a cool or lukewarm shower, not a hot one.

Canyons aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • China Wall (100M and 100K start)

    5,016 ft (1,529 m)

    39.15140, -120.67673

  • Downtown Auburn (finish)

    1,270 ft (387 m)

    38.89908, -121.07026

  • Deadwood

    3,927 ft (1,197 m)

    39.08122, -120.68883

  • Devil's Thumb (hydration)

    39.09599, -120.66445

  • Swinging Bridge (turnaround, no aid)

    2,726 ft (831 m)

    39.10217, -120.65504

  • Michigan Bluff

    3,474 ft (1,059 m)

    39.04097, -120.73490

  • Foresthill

    3,278 ft (999 m)

    39.02083, -120.81262

  • Cal 2

    1,690 ft (515 m)

    38.97396, -120.86029

  • Drivers Flat

    1,690 ft (515 m)

    38.96667, -120.95195

  • Mammoth Bar

    38.91878, -121.00167

  • Confluence

    577 ft (176 m)

    38.91617, -121.03567

  • No Hands (hydration)

    584 ft (178 m)

    38.91319, -121.04107

  • Cool

    1,526 ft (465 m)

    38.88878, -121.01787

  • Coffer Dam (water only)

    38.87421, -121.03577

  • Browns Bar

    38.92620, -120.98816

  • ALT

    1,450 ft (442 m)

    38.92700, -120.95066

  • Clementine

    38.93296, -121.01183

Canyons FAQ

When is Canyons 2027?

April 22 to 25, 2027. The 100M starts at noon on Friday, April 23, and the 25K at 4 PM that day. The 100K starts at 5 AM and the 50K at 7 AM on Saturday, April 24.

Is Canyons a Western States qualifier?

Yes. Finishing the 2027 100M in under 35 hours or the 100K in under 20 hours qualifies you for the 2028 Western States lottery. The 100K is also a Golden Ticket race: the top three women and men get entry to the 2027 Western States.

How many Running Stones do you get at Canyons?

4 for the 100M, 3 for the 100K, 2 for the 50K and 1 for the 25K.

Can you have a pacer at Canyons?

Only in the 100M. You can have two pacers, one at a time, and they join at Cool 1 or Cool 2.

Does Canyons use the Western States Trail?

Much of it. The 100M and 100K follow it through Michigan Bluff, Foresthill and Cal Street and past the Rucky Chucky crossing to Drivers Flat, and the shorter races pick it up at Robie Point and follow it over No Hands Bridge. The organizer calls the canyons "the most rugged and difficult section of the Western States Trail."

Is there cell service on the Canyons course?

It's limited. The runner guide says weak cell and satellite coverage can delay runner tracking by up to two hours. Download the course map in Goat Maps before you go: your phone's GPS still shows where you are without a signal.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.